Canada
Self-Publishing and Ghostwriting Services in Canada
Canadian authors have an advantage most of the world does not: ISBNs are free. They also have Canadian spelling to get right, legal deposit with Library and Archives Canada, and a country that spans six time zones. We write, edit and publish your book with all of that handled, in your name.
- Written and edited by an in-house team, never subcontracted
- Canadian spelling agreed in a style sheet
- Revisions included until the brief is met
- Each book quoted with its own timeline
The problem
Paying for something Canadian authors get free
A surprising number of Canadian authors pay for ISBNs they could have had for nothing, usually because they followed a guide written for American writers and bought from a US store. Others accept a free platform ISBN without realising that it lists the platform, not them, as publisher.
Canada does things differently. ISBNs come free from ISBN Canada, run by Library and Archives Canada. Spelling sits between British and American. Books published in Canada fall under legal deposit. And the market has its own quirks, such as Amazon.ca selling KDP paperbacks while Canadian hardcover availability runs through Amazon.com. We build your book around how publishing actually works in Canada, not around a US checklist with the flag changed.
Services
What we do for Canadian authors
Ghostwriting
Memoirs, business and leadership books, family histories and novels, written from recorded interviews and your notes. Your name on the cover, your copyright.
Editing to Canadian style
Developmental edits, copy edits and proofreading, with Canadian spelling choices such as "colour" and "centre" recorded in a style sheet and applied consistently.
Design and formatting
Covers sized to your trim and page count, print interiors and ebook files tested on common readers.
Publishing setup
ISBN Canada account help, metadata, categories and uploads to print-on-demand and ebook platforms, all registered to you.
Launch and marketing
Book descriptions, author websites, press releases and launch plans for Canadian and international readers.
Business writing
Web copy, blogs and SEO content for Canadian companies, with blog and article writing from $12.95 per 100 words.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
ISBNs and deposit
Free ISBNs, and what comes with them
If you are a Canadian publisher, including a self-publisher, you can open an account with ISBN Canada and assign your own numbers at no charge. Each format needs its own ISBN: a paperback, a hardcover and an ebook are three separate numbers. Using your own ISBNs means you, or an imprint name you choose, appear as publisher in book databases, and the numbers stay with you if you change printers.
Publishing in Canada also brings a legal deposit obligation: Library and Archives Canada collects copies of books published in the country, including electronic editions. Deposit puts your book in the national collection and catalogue. It is not the same as copyright registration, which is a separate and optional application to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. We prepare the deposit for you and explain whether copyright registration is worth it for your book.
- Canadian spelling and punctuation decided before editing, not fixed piecemeal afterwards
- Help setting up your free ISBN Canada account and assigning one number per format
- Legal deposit with Library and Archives Canada for print and digital editions
- List prices set in Canadian dollars for Canadian stores rather than auto-converted
- A clear plan for hardcover availability in Canada, which works differently on Amazon
- Quotes in CAD on request
- Calls booked in your local time, from Newfoundland to British Columbia
How it works
How a Canadian book project runs
1. Consultation
We discuss the book, the audience and your deadline, then send a written quote and timeline.
2. Manuscript
Ghostwriting chapter by chapter, or editing in rounds, with your review at each stage.
3. Production
Cover, interior and ebook files, proofed against the printer's specifications.
4. Release
ISBNs assigned, platforms set up in your name, the book published and the deposit made.
Pricing and limits
What it costs, and what we will not promise
Every book gets a fixed quote and its own timeline before work starts. Price depends on length, how much writing versus editing is needed, the number of formats and any illustration or colour work. Because ISBNs are free in Canada, your quote will not carry the ISBN costs that authors in other countries pay; any printed copies or optional registrations are listed separately.
We do not promise sales figures, chart positions or bestseller status. We promise a book that reads well, is registered correctly and is ready for readers to buy.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about publishing in Canada
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Yes. Canadian publishers, including authors who publish their own books, can get ISBNs at no cost through ISBN Canada, which is run by Library and Archives Canada. You open an account and manage your numbers yourself. If someone is charging you for Canadian ISBNs, ask what you are paying for. We can help you set up the account and assign numbers correctly.
No. Legal deposit means sending copies of your published book to Library and Archives Canada so it enters the national collection. Copyright registration is a separate, optional process with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Your copyright exists when you create the work; registration is a record you can use as evidence. We handle the deposit and explain whether registering makes sense for you.
Canadian spelling by default, which mixes British forms like "colour" and "cheque" with some American forms. Publishers differ on details, so we agree the choices in a style sheet before editing. If your readers are mainly in the United States, we can edit to US spelling instead. The goal is consistency from the first page to the last.
Amazon.ca sells KDP paperbacks, but it is not a primary marketplace for KDP hardcovers; Canadian availability for hardcovers comes through making the book available on Amazon.com. We set your formats and territories up so Canadian readers can find each edition, and we can look at other print routes if Canadian bookstore distribution matters to you.
Tell us on the first call. A French edition is a separate book in practice: it needs its own translation and edit, its own ISBN for each format and its own metadata. We will confirm in writing what we can take on and what you would need to arrange separately, so the plan is clear before the English edition is finished rather than discovered late.
You do. The manuscript, cover files, accounts and royalties are yours. With your own ISBN Canada numbers you are listed as publisher, and ghostwritten books carry your name as author. If you later move to another printer or distributor, your files and ISBNs go with you.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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